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Doc acquitted of PA abortion clinic drug charges

A doctor at a since-closed Pittsburgh abortion clinic has been acquitted of charges he illegally prescribed diet pills to a fellow staffer who was using the drugs to treat anxiety and depression.

State prosecutors said it was illegal for 42-year-old Dr. John Barrett, of Mount Lebanon, to provide the drugs because he didn't have a clinical relationship with the staffer, 48-year-old Mark Wagner, who pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining the drugs and is serving five years' probation.

Both men worked at the Allegheny Women's Center, which closed after the charges were filed last year.

Barrett's attorney argued that although the doctor's federal prescription license was used to order drugs for the clinic, that didn't prove Barrett knew Wagner was getting or misusing the drugs.